Closure of two primary schools moves a step nearer

Powys County Council's Cabinet says it plans to close Castle Caereinion Church in Wales school in August next year and is to begin consultation on a proposal to close Ysgol Bro Cynllaith School in Llansilin, close to the Shropshire border.

Both decisions were taken on Tuesday.

Councillor Phyl Davies, cabinet member for education and property, said: “The proposal to close Ysgol Bro Cynllaith has not been reached lightly. Not only has it been robustly challenged by senior leaders within the council at every step, but the proposal has also been developed with the best interest of the learners, who have been at the forefront of our discussions and decision-making.

“If this school was to close, then the learners would be attending schools that would be better equipped to meet the requirements of the new national curriculum and that could provide a wider range of educational and extra-curricular opportunities.

“We will now start formal consultation on this proposal in September and it will be important that all stakeholders provide us with their views.”

Powys County Council is looking to reconfigure and rationalise the primary school provision in the county as part of its Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys 2020-2030.

Closing Castle Caereinion Church in Wales School on August 31, 2022 would be part of the strategy.

During April and June 2021, the council carried out a seven-week consultation on the proposal which was considered by the Cabinet.

The council will publish the statutory notice in September 2021 and there will be a 28-day ‘Objection Period’ for those who object to the proposal to send their objections to the council, and a further report, summarising any objections received, will be considered by Cabinet to conclude the process.

Councillor Davies said: “After carefully considering all the consultation responses, Cabinet has agreed to continue with the proposal by publishing the statutory notice formally proposing the closure of Castle Caereinion Church in Wales School.

“Our strategy is ambitious, exciting and we believe it will give our learners the best possible start they deserve. However, as we start to implement it, we will be faced with significant decisions as we look to address some of the challenges facing education in Powys which include the high proportion of small schools in the county, decreasing pupil numbers and the high number of surplus places."